WoRMS taxon details
Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804
Agaphelus Cope, 1868 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenopteris Tomilin, 1957 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balenoptera Duméril, 1806 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balenopterus Cuvier, 1829 · unaccepted (synonym)
Baloenoptera Cadenat, 1957 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Belaenoptera Lahille, 1899 · unaccepted (synonym)
Benedenia Gray, 1864 · unaccepted (synonym)
Boops Gray, 1821 · unaccepted (synonym)
Catoptera Rafinesque, 1815 · unaccepted (synonym)
Cetoptera Rafinesque, 1815 · unaccepted (synonym)
Cuvierus Gray, 1866 · unaccepted (synonym)
Dactylaena Gray, 1874 · unaccepted (synonym)
Dubertus Tomilin, 1957 · unaccepted (synonym)
Eubalaenoptera Aclogue, 1900 · unaccepted (synonym)
Fabricia Gray, 1866 · unaccepted (synonym)
Flowerius Lilljeborg, 1867 · unaccepted (synonym)
Mysticetus Wagler, 1830 · unaccepted (synonym)
Ogmobalaena Eschricht, 1849 · unaccepted (synonym)
Phylasus Duméril, 1806 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalis Fleming, 1822 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus Gray, 1821 · unaccepted (synonym)
Pterobalaena Eschricht, 1849 · unaccepted (synonym)
Ptychocetus Gloger, 1842 · unaccepted (synonym)
Rorqualus F. Cuvier, 1836 · unaccepted (Synonym)
Rudolphius Gray, 1866 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sibbaldius Flower, 1865 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sibbaldus Gray, 1864 · unaccepted (synonym)
Stenobalaena Gray, 1874 · unaccepted (synonym)
Swinhoia Gray, 1866 · unaccepted (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804
- Species Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867
- Species Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828
- Species Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1878
- Species Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Species Balaenoptera omurai Wada, Oishi & Yamada, 2003
- Species Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Species Balaenoptera ricei Rosel, Wilcox, Yamada & Mullin, 2021
- Species Balaenoptera acuturostrata Lacépède, 1804 accepted as Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 (lapsus calami)
- Species Balaenoptera alba Giglioli, 1870 accepted as Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera antarctica Gray, 1846 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera antarctica Temminck, 1841 accepted as Eubalaena japonica (Lacépède, 1818) (lapsus for Balaena (not p. 21, pl. 30 (= Megaptera novaeangliae))
- Species Balaenoptera antarctica Temminck, 1841 accepted as Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera aragous Farines & Carcasonne, 1829 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera arctica Temminck, 1841 accepted as Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera astrolabe Pucheran, 1843 accepted as Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera australis Gray, 1846 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera australis Lesson, 1828 accepted as Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera blythii Anderson, 1879 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera brasiliensis Gray, 1846 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera capensis A. Smith, 1834 accepted as Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera carolinae Malm, 1866 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera davidsoni Scammon, 1872 accepted as Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804
- Species Balaenoptera eschrichtius Rasch, 1845 accepted as Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera gibbar Lacépède, 1804 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera gigas Reinhardt, 1857 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera huttoni Gray, 1874 accepted as Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera indica Blyth, 1859 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera intermedia Burmeister, 1871 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus intermedia Burmeister, 1872 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera iwasi Gray, 1846 accepted as Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera jubartes Lacépède, 1804 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera laticeps Gray, 1846 accepted as Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera leucopteron Lesson, 1842 accepted as Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera mediterraneensis Lesson, 1828 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera mediterranensis Cabrera, 1961 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (misspelling)
- Species Balaenoptera microcephala Gray, 1850 accepted as Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera miramaris Lahille, 1898 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera musculus Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera patachonica Lahille, 1905 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera patachonicus Burmeister, 1865 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera patagonica Dabbene, 1902 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera quoyii Lonnberg, 1906 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera racovitzai Lahille, 1905 accepted as Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera robusta Lilljeborg, 1861 accepted as Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljeborg, 1861) (basionym)
- Species Balaenoptera rorqual Lacépède, 1804 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera rostrata Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 accepted as Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera schlegelii Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 accepted as Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera schlegellii Dabbene, 1902 accepted as Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera sibbaldi Van Beneden, 1887 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera sibbaldii Flower, 1885 accepted as Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera swinhoii Gray, 1866 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera syncondylus A. Mueller, 1863 accepted as Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera tenuirostris Sweeting, 1840 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera thalmaha accepted as Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804 (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera velifera Cope, 1869 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym)
- Species Balaenoptera sulcata represented as Balaenoptera sulcata arctica Schlegel, 1841 accepted as Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Species Balaenoptera andrejewi Author?, 1888 (uncertain > nomen dubium, incertae sedis)
- Species Balaenoptera brydei Olsen, 1913 (uncertain > taxon inquirendum)
- Species Balaenoptera caerulescens Lacépède, 1818 (uncertain > nomen dubium, incertae sedis)
- Species Balaenoptera grimmi Author?, 1888 (uncertain > nomen dubium, incertae sedis)
- Species Balaenoptera maculata Lacépède, 1818 (uncertain > nomen dubium, incertae sedis)
- Species Balaenoptera nigra Lacépède, 1818 (uncertain > nomen dubium, incertae sedis)
- Species Balaenoptera punctulata Lacépède, 1819 (uncertain > nomen dubium, incertae sedis)
marine, terrestrial
de Lacépède, B. G. E. (1804). Histoire naturelle des cétacées. <em>In Buffon, Histoire naturelle.</em> vol. 37:317., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/7339#/summary
page(s): 120 [details]
page(s): 120 [details]
Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137013 on 2025-07-12
Date
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Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
de Lacépède, B. G. E. (1804). Histoire naturelle des cétacées. <em>In Buffon, Histoire naturelle.</em> vol. 37:317., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/7339#/summary
page(s): 120 [details]
basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
page(s): 120 [details]
basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
Other
additional source
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]
additional source King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. <em>in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia.</em> pp. 431-554. [details]
additional source King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. <em>in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia.</em> pp. 431-554. [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| English | Japanese lanterns [from synonym]finback whalesbaleen whales | [details] |
| Norwegian Bokmål | lyktslekta [from synonym] | [details] |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | lyktslekta [from synonym] | [details] |
| Swedish | lyktörter [from synonym] | [details] |
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Balaenoptera)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Benedenia) (from synonym Benedenia Gray, 1864)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Boops) (from synonym Boops Gray, 1821)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Dactylaena) (from synonym Dactylaena Gray, 1874)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Fabricia) (from synonym Fabricia Gray, 1866)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Physalis) (from synonym Physalis Fleming, 1822)
To Genbank (from synonym Dactylaena Gray, 1874)
To Genbank
To NMNH Extant Collection (MMP STR 7772 Balaenoptera musculus mounted skeleton in St. Petersburg)
To Wikipedia
To ITIS
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Benedenia) (from synonym Benedenia Gray, 1864)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Boops) (from synonym Boops Gray, 1821)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Dactylaena) (from synonym Dactylaena Gray, 1874)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Fabricia) (from synonym Fabricia Gray, 1866)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Physalis) (from synonym Physalis Fleming, 1822)
To Genbank (from synonym Dactylaena Gray, 1874)
To Genbank
To NMNH Extant Collection (MMP STR 7772 Balaenoptera musculus mounted skeleton in St. Petersburg)
To Wikipedia
To ITIS
